“SPORTS… THE MUSICAL?” SPOOFS NEW ENGLAND FANS’ REACTION TO AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, “BLAME EVERYBODY”

Short-Form Digital Video Series Reviews the Week in Sports with Comedic Musical Twist

Content Created by Above Average’s Sports Site, The Kicker, and is Featured Across NBC Sports Digital assets

STAMFORD, Conn. – January 27, 2016 – This week’s episode of “Sports…The Musical?” — a short-form original digital video partnership between NBC Sports Group and Above Average’s sports comedy website, The Kicker — is live now on NBCSports.com and across other NBC Sports Digital platforms.

The episode, called “Blame Everybody,” spoofs the reaction by New England fans to the Patriots 20-18 loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Click here for a link to the piece.

The five-episode Sports…The Musical? series is a weekly comedic musical recap based on events in the previous week in sports. Sports…The Musical? is produced for NBC Sports Group by The Kicker, with shareable content running across NBC Sports Digital assets. With its tongue-in-cheek tagline of “An Epic Sports Musical,” the series’ remaining episodes will debut mid-week for the next four weeks.

A small team of professional writers, musicians, and performers spearheaded by Brian Usifer, the music director of Kinky Boots, assemble to turn the biggest sports stories from the last seven days into a 90- to 120-second song for the series. The result of these “Sportsicals,” — featuring Broadway actors and singers — is a full-fledged, totally original, musical rendition. The episodes are written by David Ingber, head writer for The Kicker.

Sports…The Musical? is a part of the NBC Sports Digital Shorts portfolio of projects that are focused on producing short-form original digital content for NBCSports.com and other NBC Sports Digital platforms.

Sports fans can also find the content through NBC Sports Digital’s strategic partners and social media touchpoints, including Yahoo, Facebook, and YouTube.

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Sports Digital services sports fans around the clock and on the go by providing an array of best-in-class products that include live video streaming, short-form videos, sport-specific websites, and fantasy sports information. NBC Sports Digital consists of 15 websites and 13 apps, and distributes its content across desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs.

The Kicker

The Kicker is the new sports comedy online destination from premier online comedy network Above Average and the co-head writer of Saturday Night Live, Bryan Tucker. Dedicated exclusively to creating original and highly-shareable sports comedy videos, articles, images, and digital content, The Kicker features top athletes, comedians, and film & TV stars. The Kicker releases new daily content on TheKicker.com, as well as on its YouTube Channel, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and other digital platforms. Built with both the most dedicated and casual sports fans in mind, The Kicker is the web’s premier destination for unique takes on sports news of the day and video content featuring your favorite athletes and celebrities in hilarious, scripted videos.